Routinely collected burn clinical data in Canada: Determining the knowledge gap

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Trauma Care

Background:

• Canada lacks a national burn registry, unlike other developed nations.
• Current surveillance relies on fragmented single-centre secondary datasets and administrative databases.
• This approach limits comprehensive monitoring of burn injuries and care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the knowledge gap resulting from Canada's absence of a dedicated burn registry.
• To assess the existing burn literature derived from secondary data sources in Canada.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review of Canadian burn literature from secondary datasets was conducted.
• Studies of all designs were included, excluding case reports and case series.
• A thematic framework was developed based on data from countries with national burn registries.

Main Results:

• Eighty-eight studies were included; only 12 used national datasets, and 18 used provincial databases.
• The majority of studies (58%) utilized non-collaborative, single-centre secondary datasets.
• Research was concentrated in specific provinces, with many studies outdated and some regions lacking published data.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps exist in Canadian burn injury and care surveillance due to the lack of a national registry.
• Current data sources are fragmented and underutilized, hindering comprehensive research.
• Development of a nationwide burn registry is crucial to address these knowledge gaps and improve burn care surveillance in Canada.